Chapter 33 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Nice. So about your lady…”

“Let’s talk about her later. I’m curious about something, have you ever been in a relationship?” Benne asked, cutting her off.

“If you’re asking because you’re worried I won’t be able to advise you because of that, you have nothing to worry about. I have a wealth of experience from my twin brother and my best friends,” Celsie assured him.

Benne looked at her, slightly amused. It seemed like she was in a haste to help him win her heart, “No. I’m asking because I would like to understand why you chose to be single. Did something happen?” No matter how hard he thought about it, it just didn’t make sense that a lady with no prior relationship experience would just choose to be single for no reason.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Celsie said and was grateful when the waitress chose that moment to bring their order to the table.

Benne watched her and could tell he had been right. There was a story there. Something must have made her decide she was better of without men, and he intended to find out what that was, “So what would you like to talk about that doesn’t involve my love interest?” Benne asked after the waitress left.

“I thought she was the reason you dragged me out because you wanted us to talk about her?” Celsie asked with a slightly raised brow before picking up her glass of cocktail and sipping from it.

“No. I dragged you out because I was bored and wanted to spend some time with someone outdoors,” Benne corrected as he raised his glass of cocktail to his lips and took a sip.

“So don’t you think the earlier we strategize on how to get her, the better for you? At least once you get a girlfriend you’ll be too busy to be bored,” Celsie said, raising both brows with a stiff smile on her face as she used her right hand to push her glasses up her nose, while her left hand held the glass.

That explained why she was so eager to talk to him about it, Benne mused. “Shouldn’t you take off your glasses? Or do you need them to see me?” Benne asked, realizing he had no idea as to how bad her sight defect was.

“As I said before, I feel more comfortable wearing them. So neighbor, why don’t you tell me about yourself? You already know I have a twin brother, and you even know my best friend’s name, yet the only thing I know about you is your name, where you live, what you do, and the fact that you are interested in a woman whose name you don’t know,” Celsie said, before taking a long sip from her glass, and winced a bit at the bitter-sweet taste.

Benne could tell she was trying to shift the conversations from herself to him, “Let’s see. I have two younger siblings, a guy, and a girl. I have two really close friends, Jonas and Tyler. What else?”

Celsie looked at him, and even though a voice in her head kept telling her it was a bad idea to voice the question on her mind, she went ahead to ask anyway, “Do you always hook up with random women at the club?”

The corners of his lips twitched in amusement, but he tried not to smile as he looked at her, “You’re sure you want us to talk about that?”

“Well, we are friendly neighbors, aren’t we? What harm could come from it?” She asked with a shrug as she kept her empty glass, and picked up another one, and took a long sip.

“Let’s do it this way, if I answer your question, then you have to answer one of mine too,” Benne suggested.

“As long as your question has nothing to do with why I’m not in a relationship, then I’m game.”

“Alright then. No. I don’t always hook up with random women.”

“So what…”

“I answered your question, so it is my turn,” Benne said with a grin.

“But I’m not satisfied…”

“No buts, boss. It is my turn.”

Celsie looked at him as though she wanted to argue, but picked up her glass again and downed the content before flashing him a smile, “Okay. Fine. Go on and ask your question. I’m all ears,” Celsie said as she nursed her now empty glass of cocktail.

Benne signaled to Tricia to serve them again. If he was to judge by the first night at the club, then he knew without a doubt that at the pace she was going, she was likely going to getting drunk soon. That was good enough for him since he knew she was the type to loosen up and talk a lot when drunk.

“What is your favorite color?” Benne asked, catching her off guard since she had been expecting something very personal. He almost smiled when he noticed the flicker of surprise on her face. Who did she think she was dealing with?

“I love colors generally and my color preference at any point is subject to the object. So I’m afraid I can’t give you a definite answer,” Celsie explained and waited for him to ask her to explain further.

He understood what she meant, but looking at her face he also knew she wanted him to probe further, so he decided not to, “I see,” Benne said with a nod, and she pursed her lips as she tried to figure him out.

“Okay, I can continue with my question…”

“Why don’t we set some ground rules between us?” Benne asked, interrupting her.

Celsie tilted her head back and blinked at Benne, “Ground rules? What ground rules?” She asked as though she was struggling to understand and keep up with what he was saying.

One end of Benne’s lips twitched, “Yeah. You only get to ask a question once. And you can’t continue from where you stopped or generate another question from my response,” Benne said and Celsie rolled her eyes.

“How boring,” She muttered as Tricia returned to their table with their drink.

“Thanks,” Both Benne and Celsie told her before she left.

It amused Benne that someone like her would refer to anyone else as boring, “So are you in or not?”

Celsie picked up another glass against her better sense of judgment and started drinking from it out of habit. It seemed to Benne like once she started drinking, she couldn’t bring herself to stop until she was done. When she was done, she dropped the glass on the table and grinned at him as if something was amusing her, “Of course, I’m in.”

She couldn’t help noticing that her voice was beginning to sound foreign to her. She was gradually beginning to feel light-headed, and she could tell that she was on her way to becoming drunk. For someone aware of her low alcohol tolerance, it amazed her that she kept drinking alcohol even when she didn’t need it anymore.

Benne had expected her to insist on adding her own ground rules too, but it appeared like being tipsy was affecting her ability to think straight, or maybe it was making her bold and daring, “I suggest you carefully think about your questions…”

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